Welcome to our 2023 All-State selections! Down below we have the Player of the Year vote. The first-team All-State selections on offense and defense are directly underneath the poll. At the very bottom of the page, we have our All-State honorable mention selections. Next week, we will post a write-up on each athlete selected on the first team along with a story for the Player of the Year.

Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to comment at the very bottom!

MORE ALL-STATE

---

You can only vote ONE time per hour for player of the year. The poll will end on 12/23 at 9 pm.

---

OFFENSE

QB – Aaron Philo, Prince Avenue
RB – Toby Maddux, Trion
RB – Jaiden Daniels, Commerce
FB – Tysean Wiggins, Commerce
WR – Hudson Hill, Prince Avenue
WR – Willie Goodwyn, Rabun Co.
WR – CJ Dockery, Prince Avenue
TE – Brady Dickerson, Elbert Co.
OL – Ezra Adams, Trion
OL – Andrew Maurice, Lamar Co.
OL – Clint Williamson, Lamar Co.
OL – Austin Head, Prince Avenue
OL – Mason Townsend, Prince Avenue
OL – Alex Yearwood, Rabun Co.
K – Andy Ramirez, Trion
ATH – Demello Jones, Swainsboro
ATH – Austin Clemons, Bryan Co.

---

DEFENSE

DL – Harrison Rowe, Whitefield Acd.
DL – Nasir Johnson, Dublin
DL – Christian Garrett, Prince Avenue
DL – Marquis Williams, Brooks Co.
DL – Michael Joiner, Irwin Co.
LB – Landon Williams, Dade Co.
LB – Ulysses Tomblin, Irwin Co.
LB – Jerrod Steward, Swainsboro
LB – Mac Bradley, Prince Avenue
LB – Ty Head, Lamar Co.
DB – Trae Stevenson, Brooks Co.
DB – LJ Green, Heard Co.
DB – Quin Brown, Swainsboro
DB – Kaidon Whidby, Jasper Co.
DB – Tanner Ennis, Bryan Co.
P – Tyler Denny, Prince Ave
RET – Talan Shirey, Darlington

---

Winning a state title and being among the top passers in the state in 2022 was just not good enough for Aaron Philo. The next year, he went forward throwing for a career-high 4596 passing yards and 56 touchdowns while averaging a state-leading 328 yards per game. Philo completed 69% of his passes on 459 attempts and had one of the best QBRs in the state at 133. The stats are eye-popping but consider again the 2024 signal-caller led his team to another state title on top of breaking Trevor Lawrence’s career passing record in just 3 seasons. Philo’s 5k total yards offense was near the tops in the state and his 71 touchdowns led everyone. He will be suiting up for GT in 2024.

Trion spent the entire regular season in our top 5, and the primary backing behind that ranking was senior Toby Maddux. The running back led the classification with 2143 yards with a whopping 178 yards per game and 37 touchdowns. Maddux is also an underrated receiver catching 308 yards through the air and was named Region Player of the Year. Jaiden Daniels out of Commerce put together his third 1k-yard rushing season and topped out with his best season yet with 1965 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Region Player of the Year can cut on a dime and has some of the best vision of any running back we have seen in the last few recruiting classes. He is a junior to watch. Tysean Wiggins was his counterpart at Commerce, and the bruising fullback was able to rush for 1493 yards and 15 touchdowns. Amazingly, Wiggins had some of the best-rushing numbers sharing the load with Daniels, and that says a lot about the explosive nature of the option offense, which historically, Commerce runs better than almost anyone in the state.

Prince Avenue’s special season led to a rare occasion for our All-State team – a freshman to make the first team. Hudson Hill gets the nod after producing 1230 yards and 17 touchdowns on 84 receptions. We were especially impressed with Hill’s ability to make plays in the state title game and continue to move the chains. Rabun County’s Willie Goodwyn could have landed at receiver or cornerback. The senior had 985 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on the year, while on defense had 5 interceptions. Goodwyn is a dynamic lanky 6’2″ skill player who has started all 4 years at Rabun County and will be suiting up for Cincinnati at the next level. CJ Dockery out of Prince Avenue is a very impressive sophomore prospect who looks the part of a P5 receiver. The dynamic 2026 recruit had 915 yards on 55 receptions and 14 touchdowns. Dockery is a player to watch closely this offseason as his recruitment stock is trending up, fast. Elbert County junior Brady Dickerson was the top tight end in 2A. The 6’4″ pass-catcher does a nice job running routes and is a punishing runner after the catch. Dickerson led all tight ends with 614 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Trion ran for a lot of yards in 2023, and Ezra Adams was a major reason why. The senior has been a tough blocker with a good wrestling background that translates to the trenches. Andrew Maurice is a strong 6’4″ 290 lbs. offensive lineman that powered the Lamar County option attack. Maurice is strong at the point of attack and plays until the whistle. Clint Williamson was another lineman from Lamar County to make the All-State team. While Williamson has a smaller frame, he is explosive getting out of his stance and has outstanding leg drive while engaged. You can see why Williamson has been among the top wrestlers in his class for several years. Prince Avenue’s Austin Head earned the All-State nod for the 2nd year in a row. Head is a consistent blocker who shows great fundamentals and is just a nasty blocker in the trenches with strong hands. Another Prince Avenue lineman to make the All-State team is sophomore Mason Townsend. Word on the street is that Townsend likes to block for fun, and if you roll back the film you can appreciate his body of work. His hand placement is great, and once has the defender on his heels the game is over. He’s a talented 2026 OL to watch closely over the next few years. Rabun County’s Alex Yearwood is a wide-shouldered blocker who can move in space. The junior helped Rabun County to one of the top offenses in Division I and without question one of the more dominating blockers in the classification.

Trion’s Andy Ramirez with another solid season knocking home 6 field goals with a long of 47, which is the longest in school history. He was consistent on his extra points knocking home 67 of 70. The Trion junior has one of the best legs in his class.

This year, we picked two athletes for Division I. First, is Demello Jones out of Swainsboro. The senior is a UGA signee and among the best players in the entire state of Georgia. With over 1500 all-purpose yards, Jones was able to impact the game in every aspect of the offensive attack. The senior rushed for 1181 yards, threw for 300 yards, and caught 148 receiving yards with a total of 19 touchdowns on top. Jones also had 32 tackles on defense, two interceptions (one being a pick-six in the state title game), two forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups. Jones was named Region Player of the Year. Bryan County’s Austin Clemons helped the ‘Underdog’ team make it to the state semifinals. In a tremendous finish, that had almost everyone in the state surprised, Clemons was the heart of Bryan County on both sides of the ball. The senior rushed for 1803 yards and 21 touchdowns while also totaling 107 tackles 22.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. The Region Player of the Year signed on with Middle Tennessee.

Moving over to defense where we are headlined by Region Defensive Player of the Year Harrison Rowe. The senior with an unending motor on the field totaled 89 tackles on the year, 19.5 tackles for a loss, and 7.5 sacks. Dublin’s Nasir Johnson earns a spot on the All-State defense. Johnson could have honestly made either side of the line, the huge 6’5″ +300 lbs. is the biggest athlete in Division I and is signed on to UGA. Johnson is a run-stuffing monster in the middle. Christian Garrett is among the best defensive linemen in the class of 2025. The powerful lineman dominated the line of scrimmage earning 78 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, and 4 sacks, earning Defensive Player of the Year in his region. Marquis Williams out of Brooks County is an under-the-radar edge who has great speed coming out of his stance. The 6’3″ 230 lbs. junior was named Region Defensive Player of the Year. He is a prospect to watch closely this offseason. Michael Joiner out of Irwin County makes our All-State team for the 2nd year in a row. The stout 6’1″ 290 lbs. defensive tackle lines up across the line for Iwrin County. He totaled 88 tackles and 8 sacks on the year. Joiner signed on to Alabama State.

Landon Williams is another standout wrestler who makes the All-State team. The transferrable nature of those two sports never ceases to amaze, and Williams is a good prototype. The linebacker was named Region Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 70 tackles and 16 tackles for a loss. The senior also rushed for 1370 yards and 17 touchdowns, too. Ulysses Tomblin out of Irwin County moved off the edge to MIKE in 2023 and blossomed at the new position. Utilizing his speed and great top-end acceleration, Tomblin was cutting through the gaps and creating negative plays consistently. Jerrod STeward out of Swainsboro has been Mr. Consistent the last two years helping his team to two state championship appearances.. The senior had 145 tackles in 2023 and was named Defensive Player of the Year. Mac Bradley out of Prince Avenue Christian was near the tops in the classification with 143 tackles on the year and led the class with 109 solo tackles. The junior is a powerful hitter in space and did a great job creating negative plays with 12 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks. Ty Head out of Lamar County only played 25 snaps a game on defense and still managed to average 5-6 tackles a game. Head was also busy executing Lamar County’s vaunted option attack, so he couldn’t play every single snap, but his impact on both was impressive. Head is a big hitter in space with great speed and size at 6’4″. He was named Region Player of the Year and a hidden gem in the state.

Trae Stevenson out of Brooks County is the best cover cornerback you don’t know about in Division I. The sophomore is a big hitter in space and shows outstanding acceleration to the football and impressive instincts. We fully expect FBS programs to be all over Stevenson before it is all said and done. Heard County took positive steps forward in 2023 and senior LJ Green finished off a great career. Green was named Region Offensive Player of the Year, but his impact on defense was equally similar where his ball skills affected incoming passes. Green is signed on with Georgia Southern. Swainsboro Quin Brown used his great speed to rush for over 1000 yards on offense, but he was also a great defensive back for the Tigers. The junior is quick to the football and cleans up his tackles well. Expect Brown to be the ‘star’ at Swainsboro in 2024. Kaidon Whidby out of Jasper County was among the leaders in Division I with 5 interceptions. The senior uses his huge 6’2″ 200 lbs. frame to roam the middle and is a high-upside prospect signed on with Liberty. Tanner Ennis out of Bryan County is perhaps the most impressive defender in this classification. With 139 tackles playing at safety and 24 tackles for a loss, Ennis is seemingly everywhere on the field. The Region Defensive Player of the Year is one of the biggest hitters in the state and is signed on with Georgia Military College.

---

HONORABLE MENTION:

La’Marqus Webb, Swainsboro/Adian Cothern, Bacon Co./Javian Woodard, Irwin County/Kyler Giddens, Prince Ave./Erik Jensen, Pepperell/Brandon Ridley, Jasper Co./Lucas Stoker, Trion/Jermiah Mintz, Commerce/DJ Raiford, Elbert Co./Brandon Chatman, Dublin/Aiden Foskey, Swainsboro/Chris Winfree, Bryan Co./Gibbs Pope, Mt. Vernon/Cale Rowland, Bleckley Co./Hudson Royal, Irwin Co/Walker Warshaw, Mt. Vernon/Jacari Barnett, Elbert Co./Jordan Williams, Swainsboro/Connor Causby, Prince Ave/Bristan DeRocher, Mt. Vernon/Bryson Campbell, Athens Christian/Marcus Newson, Bleckley Co./Josiah Cotterell, Jasper Co/Sam Nazarian, Mt. Vernon/Chris Cole, Brooks Co./Ty Truelove, Rabun Co./Kade Smith, Trion/Kam’ryn Everett, Bleckley Co./Braydon Scarborough, Elbert Co./Ethan Tisdale, Heard Co./Ken Williams, Pelham/Joshua Stanley, Bleckley Co./CJ Gray, Temple/Jake Turner, Oglethorpe Co./Tyler Rogers, Pepperell/Reid Giles, Rabun Co./Travion Richardson, Bacon Co./Xavier Bostic, Dublin/Jacari Carney, Bryan Co./Ethan Willingham, Trion/Ian Weihe, Whitefield Acd./Elvis Hunt, Rabun Co./Taylor Craig, Whitefield Acd./Antonio Heath, Heard Co./Junior Waller, Claxton/Aki Brown, Bacon Co./Logan Stokes, Trion/Mac Wotton, Whitefield Acd./Gaines Scoggins, Prince Ave/Jose Rodriguez, Elbert Co./Geno Houchins, Mt. Pisgah/Garrett Mahan, Trion/Bryson Tarver, Swainsboro/Corey Donaldson, Metter/Tyrone Atkinson, Claxton/George Lamons, Brooks Co/Jayden Williams, Brooks Co/Justyn Wesley, Pelham/Anton Graham, Brooks Co./Malachi O’Neal, Dublin/DeMari Foster, Dublin/JB Jenkins, Bleckley Co./Shanon Ricks, Swainsboro/Cjay Smith, Metter/John Good, Bryan Co./Tacory Grant, Screven County/Kris Martin, Bryan Co./Allen Williams, Metter/Hunter Hammock, Lamar Co./Dominic Nicolosi, Temple/Brody Ogles, Heard Co./Jordan Glover, Lamar Co./Manny Watkins, Temple/Jake Atha, Prince Ave/Kam Duden, Social Circle/Chip Scarbrough, Mount Pisgah/Nate Thomas, Mount Vernon/Connor Soales, Coosa/D’Marion Floyd, Darlington/Peyton Owen, Pepperell/Zayden Cook, Chattooga/Eliot Goggans, Pepperell/Sam Wooten, Darlington/Eli Kimball, Dade Co./Jack Hood, Rabun Co/Jacari Huff, Commerce/Mac Mullis, Commerce/Corntavis Teasley, Elbert Co/Jacob Seagraves, Armuchee/Berdendrick Johnson, Pelham/TJ Fountain, Bleckley Co./Nathan Webb, Mt. Vernon/Preston Guy, Social Circle/Jaken Thomas, Irwin Co./Gaines Scoggins, Prince Ave./Deanthony Green, Bacon Co./Bryson Logan, Whitefield Acd./Demetrius Walker, Dade Co./Eli Harris, Elbert Co./Grayson Wood, Athens Christian

NEW PROFILES
TOP STORIES